Yanni’s Gyro Express Cafe

After a great day of hiking we were looking for a place to eat. Found Yanni’s on Unilocal and was impressed with the reviews so we checked it out… Wow! My friends have a house in nearby Rockhill and said this place was a takeout place but unbeknownst to them had expanded into a sit down restaurant. Very pleasant décor and the food was Excellent and portions abundant. However, while we waited longer for our food than guests that arrived after us (oversight in kitchen) it did not go unnoticed by the owner, Dimitry. He came over to our table (before we asked about our food), apologized for the delay and comped us dessert for our trouble; very professional and the prices are very reasonable. Our friends declared this is now their new ‘Go to’ choice for dining out when they’re up and it is ours too when we visit again. Well done Dimitry!

Excellent food, great service, ALWAYS friendly and welcoming! Some of the best desserts in the area, Yannis is definitely one of the area’s best restaurants!

I stopped in for takeout with my wife while on a road trip today. The staff was extremely friendly and demonstrated a tremendous customer experience. This just shows that a restaurant doesn’t have to be fancy to deliver great service.
We had a falafel pita with fries and a gyro with grape leaves. Everything was delicious. The value was terrific. The portions were generous and this was one of the best Greek meals I’ve had. This is a great place!

i had the falafal platter today. The roasted veggies were incredible. They may make the best taziki sauce in NY. but the falafal’s were perfect. Not too dense, flavorful and a tahini that kicked ass. YUM. It is worth the trip to Monticello alone.

Made a quick stop. The food, service and ambiance was great. A perfect Greek stop on the way back of a long road trip. The quality was great and the portions more than fair!

Great dinner! The grilled vegetables and tzaziki were delicious. The servings were ample size. I didn’t like the chicken gyro but fortunately the kitchen made a mistake and gave me chicken breast which was in a delicious marinade. Salads are great and chicken lemon soup and roasted vegetables were very good. It’s very convenient when you are going through town on route 17, just off the highway.

Finally a reasonable, delicious place to eat in Sullivan county. We had lamb chops with orzo, which were small but delicious and cooked medium and juicy. The orzo was a little dry but I liked the feta crumbled in it, might need a little more oil or light sauce.
My wife had the Greek salad with gyro meat, she enjoyed it, it was fresh, and the Greek lemon chicken and rice soup and bean soups were flavorful and satisfying.
This was our first time here, but now that we know how good it was and it is opened 7 days a week, we plan to come back more often. We are tired of the diners in the area that pair rude customer service with unsatisfying food. We are looking forward to trying more food here and the desserts they have on their menu.
Thanks Yanni’s for the great job!

There are restaurants regarding which my only foreknowledge is what I read on Unilocal.I think of the good ones as ‘Yelp finds’ and this little Greek café fits that to a ‘T’. We were looking for good, cheap eats in Monticello because we wanted to get money out of a Chase bank atm and combine that with lunch. We never did find the atm, but lunch was fantastic. The service was really attentive and got us everything we wanted. I had moussaka. My wife had a Greek salad with grilled shrimp and a side of fries which she ordered simply because they looked so good on another table. We also had avgolemono (sp?) soup as part of the lunch special. My moussaka was delicious. For those who aren’t familiar, it’s basically Greek shepherd’s pie with eggplant. I order moussaka sometimes because it is a food that has special meaning to me, as it was one of my late mother’s favorite foods. When I order it, I think of her and the times we ate together in the Coach diner in Mt Kisco, NY. Yes, I’m sentimental about ground lamb and potatoes and eggplant. It was delicious here, nothing to distract me from my reverie about my mother and our too brief time together. My wife’s salad was delicious, with juicy, decent-​sized shrimp. She loved her fries and ate them as if it were her vocation. I got none. We had some baklava to go, however we left it in the Hyatt House suite refrigerator. Sad, but maybe a maid had a nice snack. I’m sure it would have been scrumptious. Overall, tasty food, sharp service, and a reasonable tab. Ooopah! I think they say…

A Greek restaurant that’ll serve you good food and have you out the door within 45 mins. Came here a few times now and I was never disappointed with the food or service

We’ve been minutes away from this place so many times, I wish we had known about it sooner. Clean, welcoming, everything was fresh, good service, fair prices. My husband loves falafel, so there was no question he would get the falafel platter. It came with a very nice Greek salad and basket of warm pita wedges as an appetizer. I had the chicken souvlaki gyro. Very soft and fresh, vegetables very crisp and fresh. Chicken nicely prepared. Generous portions, and we were quite full, but we had to try some dessert. No canned frosting here… fresh whipped cream on the brownie bar… very good. There was cheesecake baklava that tempted us, but that has to wait for next time.
Good variety on the menu, even hotdogs, burgers, and pasta, if someone in your party isn’t in the mood for Greek food. A very nice family business.

Hands down best gyro since Santorini, wow it brought back memories! This restaurant is an A+, and the owners make you feel like family.

I’m a fan. traditional food is excellent, and they knock it out of the park with their burgers! you won’t be disappointed. Their desserts… OMG! as a matter of fact, I’ll be getting take out tomorrow!

I love this place. The food is delicious, the service is friendly and the price is right. My mother and I eat here fairly often, and they have the best falafel I’ve had in Sullivan County. The roasted vegetables are absolutely delicious as well. My mother loves their chicken souvlaki and their desserts. One of the few good spots to eat in Monticello.

This is a wonderful, little restaurant with loads and loads of heart, great Greek– and traditional diner food, even good coffee, and amazingly low prices. Highly recommended.

I have driven by Yannis dozens of times. I really did not know what to expect. I found something on the menu that sounded good. Mediterranean chicken. I noticed the food coming out of the kitchen. All good portions and the food looked great. I ordered the lemon greek soup. It was good but not the best I have had. But I did enjoy it. Then my main dish arrived. It was fantastic. I can’t even tell you how great it was.FANTASTIC.Add that the catsup they have is very good and organic. I cannot wait to go back. I will be a regular here.

Friendly staff and tasty dolmades. The chicken gyro was savory and as fresh as could be. Perfect tzatziki topped it off, and the classic cannoli was excellent.

This past Sunday, en route to the Forestburgh Playhouse for a performance of The Music Man we stopped here for lunch. It had been recommended by our cousin who was working at the Playhouse for the summer. She told us it was «a Playhouse staff favorite» and it’s easy to see why.
It’s in the most unpretentious building that seems smaller from the outside than once you’re in it. Inside is spotlessly clean, a white and blue decorated room (like the colors of the Greek flag).
The menu was more than just Greek, but it was Greek food we were here for. Several Falafels and my Fried Calamari were ordered. Portions are generous. Everything we ordered was delicious, and the prices can’t be beat. Amazingly low, and more than well worth it.
Then there are the desserts! You don’t choose from a dessert menu, you choose from the desserts on display in a case. All look wonderful. Signs tell you what each is. All the ones we had were quickly gobbled up. From personal experience I can tell you that the Baklava is scrumptious — but a knife was needed to eat it, just a fork wouldn’t do the trick. Nary a crumb was left of any of them.
Service was good.
I wish this were closer to our home in lower Westchester County; we’d be regulars.
Visited August 2015

Stopped by Yanni’s entirely on Unilocal reviews. There wasn’t any other restaurant in Monticello that came close to Their quality.
I dropped in after a job and it was my luck Yanni’s has a great take out menu. I just wanted to get home.
The ambience is very nice and noise level was low, I wish I had stayed, it seemed very pleasant. I was greeted by a pleasant waitress and presented a menu, all I wanted was a gyro and had mine, in hand in under 5 minutes. It was delicious and price was average for the gyro.
I’m not in Monticello often, but I aim to try the litmus test of Greek food, Moussaka !
Stay tuned

So delicious and great service. Side of the road hidden gem. Food is authentic and delicious! Nice to know I can get great Greek when outside of the city.

Great find in restaurant desert, Monticello.
I was in Monticello searching for a Spanish food store to buy a caldero for rice and came across Yanni’s.
Here are the important parts:
— Fun, bright blue and white décor that is immaculate. Plus every seat is a great seat. Makeshift outdoor seating. The whole place is fun. TVs in the background were unobtrusive.
— Fluffy, crispy classic falafel. Tahini was flavorful.
— Greek salad with fresh tomato, olives, cucumbers, feta and romaine with house made dressing.
— Every lunch is accompanied by a soup. The lemon, chicken and rice was fresh and light.
— The portions are normal to large. Most diners took leftovers.
— Place is immaculate. Waitresses are friendly and effective.
— You can modify any order to suit your preferences. Sweet potato fries, salad — whatever you want.
I’ll be back next time I’m headed home…